Morrell D C, Wale C J
J R Coll Gen Pract. 1976 Jun;26(167):398-403.
Health diaries were kept by 198 randomly-chosen women between the ages of 20 and 44. Symptoms were recorded on one day in three and on 57 per cent of symptom-days self-medication occurred. Even a minor shift from self-care to doctor care could make intolerable demands on the general-practitioner service in this country.Only a minority of symptoms (one in 37) are taken to the doctor and patients are highly selective in deciding which symptoms are appropriate for medical care. The perception of symptoms and the response of seeking medical advice are both significantly related to anxiety as measured by a personality questionnaire.
198名年龄在20至44岁之间的女性被随机挑选出来记录健康日记。她们每三天记录一次症状，在出现症状的日子里，有57%的情况会进行自我治疗。在这个国家，即使是从自我护理到就医护理的轻微转变，也可能给全科医生服务带来难以承受的需求。只有少数症状（37个症状中有1个）会去看医生，患者在决定哪些症状适合就医时具有高度选择性。通过一份人格问卷测量发现，症状感知和寻求医疗建议的反应都与焦虑显著相关。
